by Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports

by Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports

New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez's attorneys, who filed a lawsuit Thursday against Major League Baseball and Commissioner Bud Selig, returned Saturday with more allegations, terming Selig's efforts to suspend Rodriguez a "crusade" and a "shameful endeavor.

"Commissioner Selig's and MLB's inexplicable personal animus toward Alex Rodriguez has brought them down to the level of protecting and relying primarily upon a witness under federal investigation for dealing performance enhancing drugs to minors,'' attorney Joe Tacopina said in a statement. "Every player in the league, every fan who spends money on MLB tickets and gear, and every team whose money is being spent on this witch hunt should be asking Selig to explain and justify his actions.''

Tacopina is referring to Tony Bosch, the former director of Biogenesis, who testified on behalf of MLB this week discussing his relationship with Rodriguez involving performance enhancing drugs. Bosch is being investigated by Florida authorities for providing performance-enhancing drugs to minors.

Tacopina is alleging that MLB paid Bosch $5 million for his testimony, while MLB's investigators performed gross misconduct in their investigation of Rodriguez.

"Every last allegation made in our suit pertaining to MLB's and Commissioner Selig's misconduct is supported by audio or video tapes, photographs, documents, witness affidavits, or otherwise indisputable evidence,'' Tacopina said. "And on the law, if this shameful endeavor by Commissioner Selig does not constitute tortious interference, then it must be that no one ever can count on obtaining relief from that tort, no matter how egregious the facts. Fortunately, that is not the state of the law in New York.

"We look forward to the opportunity to continue to press our defense against Selig's crusade to banish Alex later this month, and to pressing forward in our damages suit against he and his lieutenants."

Rodriguez's suit against Major League Baseball accuses the league of engaging in "tortious interference" in an effort to force him out of the game.

Rodriguez's lawyers claim that MLB is trying to make an example of Rodriguez "so as to gloss over Commissioner Selig's past inaction and tacit approval of the use of performance enhancing substances in baseball (not to mention his multiple acts of collusion), and in an attempt to secure his legacy as the 'savior' of America's pastime."

"This lawsuit is a clear violation of the confidentiality provisions of our drug program, and it is nothing more than a desperate attempt to circumvent the Collective Bargaining Agreement,'' MLB said in a statement.

"While we vehemently deny the allegations in the complaint, none of those allegations is relevant to the real issue: whether Mr. Rodriguez violated the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program by using and possessing numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including Testosterone and human Growth Hormone, over the course of multiple years and whether he violated the Basic Agreement by attempting to cover-up his violations of the program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the Office of the Commissioner's investigation."

Rodriguez and MLB completed their first week of testimony in the slugger's appeal of a 211-game suspension levied in August. Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz is not expected to rule until at least next month, and the suit may impact whether the matter is set aside within the parameters of baseball's Joint Drug Agreement.